Stomping Through the Savoy Cocktail Book

Menu

Neige Ice Cider

As it happens, I enjoy a good dessert wine, (or “pudding wine” as our English friends call them,) from time to time.

I have an especial weakness for Sauterne and Tokaji Aszú. Well, not to mention Port, Trockenbeerenauslese, Pedro Ximénez…

Anyway, given this unhealthy interest in sweet wines, and an especial fondness for apples, I was interested to learn of Canadian Ice Ciders a few years ago.

Like ice wines, ice ciders are made from the concentrated juice squeezed from frozen fruit.

Unfortunately, it didn’t really seem like many were imported into the US so I kind of gave up on the idea of trying it.

However, while perusing the dessert wines at a local liquor store recently, I was surprised to see a single bottle of La Face Cachée de la Pomme‘s Neige Ice Cider. I asked the store manager about it, and he said if I wanted to try it, I should buy it, because that was the only bottle he had.

We finally tried it last night after dinner and all I can say is, “Wow!”

I truly hope this isn’t the last time I get to try Ice Cider, as Neige is really fantastic stuff.

Super concentrated, delicious and complex, apple flavor. Very sweet, but with enough acidity and complexity to keep it from being cloying. The aroma seemed to just fill the glass with the essence of apple. It went well with the carrot cake we had for dessert, but I could also see it pairing with a cheese plate, Foie Gras, or Pate.